Problem  

The Italian organic advisory system includes various networks and trusted, internationally connected groups, organisations, and institutional structures, of renowned expertise but lacks a unified system for training, technical, marketing, and administrative support tailored to the organic sector's needs.  

Solution  

Implement a virtual hub to share information about training opportunities, contents, methods, and tools for providers of technical & marketing support and legal-administrative assistance in organic farming. The platform to be hosted by SINAB portal is included in the National Action Plan (NAP).  

Benefits  

The hub fosters: 

• Comprehensive and coordinated trainings across the national territory to develop the organic farming sector
• Professional organic advisers’ knowledge and skills.
• Impactful collaboration and partnerships between organic AKIS actors operating at national and regional level to meet the sector’s evolving challenges. 

Practical recommendations for AKIS actors 

• Seek out peer-to-peer coordination and collaboration to build up a comprehensive and integrated information base
• Promote horizontal support for organic AKIS rather than for separate sub-systems
• Invest in increasing expertise addressing multiple aspects of organic farming
• Adopt a demand-driven approach organic advisory services
• Ensure structured and continuous provision of organic advisory services and the adoption of more participatory and innovative methods and tools
• Implement the virtual hub to create a reference point for Italian organic operators and stakeholders 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

One of the undeveloped areas in the organic advisory service in Germany is the regional management of natural resources such as water, biodiversity, and climate. 

Solution  

The development of regional cooperations by organic farmers, public service providers such as water companies, and the private sector where farmers are embedded in programs for the provision of public services. 

Benefits  

A regional approach can help maintain important natural resources (climate, water, biodiversity) ensuring long-term productivity and food security. Farmers are encouraged to maintain their organic production through support in marketing and cooperation with a public service provider. 

Practical recommendations  

Farmers and advisors in a region should reach out to their water companies or other public service providers to suggest setting up similar programs. Value chain managers and people working with Öko-Modell-Regions should also approach service providers and private companies in their region to establish regional cooperation. On the practical side, it is important to develop a system that is a win-win solution for all involved stakeholders. Ideally, farmers receive a payment for the organic production through a programme, e.g., from the water company that is additional to the CAP payments. The combination of value chain analysis and marketing products with a positive effect on public resources, e.g., groundwater, can establish a strong network for organic transition and long-term production. 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

The German aquaculture sector lacks access to independent, personalised advisory services to support fish farmers in the transition to organic farm management. 

Solution  

Improve the knowledge transfer from research institutions to practitioners (farmers, advisors etc.) and provide an information platform of actors supporting organic aquaculture development with technical support, administrative assistance, and trainings.  

Benefits  

This practice abstract lists current trusted providers of organic aquaculture advisory services and technical support for fish farmers in transition to organic farm management in Germany. 

Practical recommendations  

Fish farmers are recommended to contact the following organisations for advice. Web links are provided. 

Private associations & organizations for organic farming & aquaculture 

• Naturland e.V.
• Bioland e.V.
• Verband der deutschen Binnenfischerei und Aquakultur e.V. (VDBA) (Association of German Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture)
• Der Bundesverband Aquakultur e.V
• Öko-Insitut e.V. (Institute for Applied Ecology) 

Research & education organizations 

• Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft – Institut für Fischerei (Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture – Institute for fisheries)
• University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
• Alfred-Wegener-Institut (AWI)
• Thünen-Institute
• Verband der Fischereiverwaltung und Fischereiwissenschaft e.V. (Association of fisheries management and fisheries science)
• IGB – Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries
• Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau FiBL 

Inspection bodies for organic aquaculture 

• Lacon Insitut
• Abcert
• Grünstempel – Ökoprüfstelle e.V.
• GfRS Gesellschaft für Ressourcenschutz mbH 

Public authorities 

• Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)
• Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE)
• Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
• Governments/authorities in the individual federal states, especially State Agricultural Offices 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

The organic AKIS in France needs to deconstruct silos to better share knowledge among public and private actors and advise the whole value chain from production to market, retail, and processing.

Solution  

This practice abstract lists AKIS actors that provide support with funding and administrative help, plant protection strategies, regulation advice, and more. 

Benefits  

Farmers can reach out to trusted providers of organic advisory services. 

Practical recommendations  

This practice abstract lists the types of AKIS actors with linked examples that farmers can turn to, based on the results of a French AKIS workshop evaluating availability, competences, and affordability of organic advisory services.     

1. Agricultural technical institutes: Arvalis, Terres Inovia, GAB, FNAB, ITAB, IFV
2. Chambers of Agriculture
3. Producer groups with a facilitator
4. Regional experimentation platforms: GRAB
5. Advisors and independent consultant: CETA
6. Digital platform: Triple Performance, GECO, R&D Agri, agroecologie.org
7. Social media
8. Start up or other independent organisation: Ver de terre production, fermes d’avenir, Solagro
9. Public and government players: Agence Bio, Community of municipalities
10. Cooperatives and producer groups
11. French agricultural research institute: INRAe
12. The agricultural education system
13. Certification bodies: INAO, Ecocert
14. Specialised press, information bulletins
15. Fellow farmer 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem 

Romania lacks a specialised network of organic advisors with sectorial or regional focus and has a high reconversion rate from organic to conventional. 

Solution  

Regional clusters address issues across the value chain, share knowledge, host workshops, and allocate subject-matter advisors to farmers’ needs.

Benefits 

Clusters help farmers gain funding or technical advice. Regional networks addressing local needs strengthen community cohesion and the organic narrative nationally. 

Practical recommendations/results  

Farmers in Romania who are organic, are interested or want to convert to organic, should join one the following existing clusters in their region:  

• Inter-Bio
• Bio Danubius Cluster
• BioNest Cluster 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

The goal of the Danish government is to double the organic area by 2030. That requires more farmers to convert to organic and existing organic areas to stay organic.   

Solution  

Denmark's organic action plan promotes organic farming through upscaling and market growth. Farmers considering conversion can get a free conversion check from the Fund for Organic Farming.  

Benefits  

During the conversion check an experienced organic farm advisor from the Innovation Centre for Organic Farming (ICOEL) or another advisory service provider visits the farm. The consultant and the farmer go through the farm's production and sales potential of converting to organic production. Farmers can ask questions and explore development opportunities, helping them make informed decisions. The approach has proven to cause fewer re-conversions or interrupted processes. 

Practical recommendations  

• The farmer contacts the advisory services or ICOEL to ask for a conversion check. This can also take place on the initiative of a municipality for all farms in the region.
• Before the visit, the farmer receives a simple questionnaire, so that the conversion advisor can prepare.
• The advisor has experience with the farm type (e.g., livestock, arable, vegetable). Impartiality and professionalism are key.
• The farm visit of approx. 2 hours includes:
• Review of fields and stables to assess the opportunities and barriers for organic production and how to overcome them
• Discussion of rules for organic production in general and for the specific farm type
• Financial estimate based on the current production and potential subsidies   
• Market and sales opportunities
• A timeline for conversion
• The advisor provides a report with a realistic assessment of the farm’s suitability for organic farming.
• If the farmer decides to convert to organic, the advisor will guide him through the process. Conversion to organic takes around 2-3 years to be effective. 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

Once a farmer decides to convert to organic, the needed steps and paperwork may seem complex.  

Solution  

In Austria, various institutions offer advisory services as well as a broad range of courses and trainings for farmers in conversion to organic. This practice abstract sets out steps to take and to give an overview of actors that can provide assistance.

Benefits  

This practice abstract lists current trusted providers of organic advisory services for farmers who want to convert to organic production in Austria as well as all important actors involved in the process. 

Practical recommendations  

The legal basis of organic standards is the EU regulation 2018/484.  

• Pre conversion information: Regional agricultural chambers and the organic farmers association Bio Austria offer Individual farm consultancy and organic farm visit opportunities.
• Sign certification contract: Certification bodies are private service providers accredited to conduct organic certifications. To start the transitioning process farmers can choose one of the following certification bodies: ABG, BIOS, LACON, SGS, SLK, LKV. The certification body will once a year conduct an on-farm inspection visit to assure that the organic standards are followed. A conversion time of 24 months (or 36 months for permanent crops) must pass until the farm products can be labelled as certified organic.
• Allowed inputs: Organic farm management means that operating resources are restricted according to Regulation (EU) 2018/484. Permitted inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides, or feed stuff with approval for organic farming are listed in the Austrian catalogue of permitted inputs.
• Seed and planting material: Only organic seeds and planting material are allowed in organic farming. A list of available organic seed lots for Austria can be found in the Austrian Organic Seed Database.
• Advanced training: LFI, Bio Austria, FIBL, Demeter provide advanced trainings.  

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

The Greek organic advisory system has limited access to information on organic aquaculture and lacks personalised, specialised technical support for fish farmers transitioning to organic methods. 

Solution  

This practice abstract lists current providers of organic advisory services for fish farmers in transition to organic in Greece.

Benefits  

KIS for organic aquaculture thrives on several dedicated actors supporting the development of organic farming providing technical support, administrative assistance, and trainings. Farmers seeking advice on specific topics can contact the organisations recommended in this practice abstract. 

Practical recommendations  

• Technical support: Support in the transition phase with a focus on professional and technical areas, and with opportunities for collaboration in co-creation, Living Labs, and on-farm experiments: Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-ELGO Dimitra
• Information on organic certification requirements: Certification bodies (Agrocert, BioHellas, TÜVHellas)
• Free or low-cost training programmes on organic farming at different levels of the education system: Universities (e.g., Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Agricultural University of Athens, University of Patras, University of Thessaly)
• Administrative assistance: mainly in the application process for organic subsidies: Advisors working in the network of Geotechnical Chambers of Agriculture, independent advisors. 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

Limited consumer demand for organic products challenges the EU’s goal of increasing organic farming to 25% of agricultural land by 2030. 

Solution  

Active marketing strategies such as information labels, nudges, product assortment changes and brand strategies can effectively raise demand for organic products in supermarkets. 

Benefits  

Promotes consumer awareness and demand for organic products, aligns with EU sustainability goals, provides guide for scaling organic market growth. 

Practical recommendations 

The following marketing strategies were found useful in increasing the demand for organic products: 

Use of information labels: 

• In addition to labelling organic products with the well-known EU organic label, the introduction of a prospective EU climate label could positively influence consumer demand for organic products. However, further research is needed to determine whether this climate label enhances the value proposition of organic products. 

Use of nudging: 

• Retailers can label organic products as “Popular Choice” or “Bestseller”, leveraging social norms to encourage consumers to change their organic buying behaviour. 

Use of assortment changes: 

• Expanding the assortment of organic products relative to conventional ones may be used to effectively increase demand for organic products.  

Use of brand strategy: 

• The introduction of premium-oriented private label brands for organic products effectively drives organic product demand, presenting a potentially impactful alternative to both conventional budget-oriented private labels and premium brands. 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

The Hungarian organic advisory system lacks independent, personalised advisory services with cross-regional specialisation and comprehensive coverage available to support farmers in the transition to organic. 

Solution  

The organic Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) in Hungary relies on several dedicated actors supporting organic farming development with technical support, administrative assistance, and trainings.  

Benefits  

This practice abstract lists current trusted providers of organic advisory services for farmers in transition to organic in Hungary.

Practical recommendations for strengthening the organic advisory services  

The following organisations are recommended for farmers to contact for advice: 

Technical support:  

• Personalised support in the transition phase with a focus on professional and technical areas and opportunities for collaboration in co-creation, Living Labs, and on-farm experiments: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (ÖMKi).
• Advice and participation in on-site trials to measure and improve the efficiency of organic plant protection products: Manufacturers, e.g., Biocont Kft. 

Information on certification requirements: Certification bodies (Biokontroll Hungária Kft., Bio Garancia Kft.) and the Organic Farming Association (Magyar Biokultúra Szövetség). 

Strengthening the innovation network: EU CAP Network led by the Institute of Agricultural Economics (AKI). 

Free or low-cost training programmes on organic farming at different levels of the education system: Universities (e.g., MATE, Debrecen University, Széchenyi István University). 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem 

Farmers in Germany who want to convert to organic production often lack access to relevant information and guidance.  

Solution 

Provide information to farmers about the basic steps to take for conversion and give an overview of actors that can provide assistance. 

Benefits  

Enabling farmers to get access to relevant public and private actors and information to support them with conversion to organic farming practices and learning new practices.  

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

Despite Common Agricultural Policy support, many farmers remain reluctant to convert to organic farming due to administrative, technical, and market reasons. 

Solution  

Associating organic practices, values, and products to Alternative Food Networks (AFN) 

Benefits  

Networks foster synergies across like-minded actors with complementary interests and capacities, which can promote organic conversion. 

Practical recommendations 

• Organic advisors should encourage farmer-to-farmer technical exchanges with experienced organic farmers sharing knowledge.
• Organic advisory services should provide farmers regular opportunities to meet with experts to broaden their horizons, get information on organic certification, landraces protection and enhancement, and healthy diets.
• Organic Alternative Food Networks should organise regular and occasional market initiatives, such as farmers’ markets, local fairs, to foster consumer-producer relations and farmer collaboration.
• Organic Alternative Food Networks should promote local products through experiential tourism & cultural events such as heritage & landscape walks, art festivals, tasting events, bike tours, fostering organics as an added value for citizens and tourists.
• Members of Organic Alternative Food Networks should engage in partnerships in multi-actor projects (EU, national, local). 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

Communication gaps, fragmented structures, and limited collaboration often prevent research results from reaching organic farmers effectively. 

Solution  

Interaction between research and farmers can be improved with EIP-AGRI operational groups, Living Labs, advisory networks, and digital knowledge platforms. 

Benefits  

Knowledge transfer becomes more dynamic, and research results are accessible for practitioners.  

Practical recommendations 

Practical instruments and approaches of the Austrian AKIS strengthen knowledge exchange and innovation in organic farming and rural development. Austrian organic farmers can get involved in the below initiatives and take an active role in fostering collaboration between research and practice. 

EIP-AGRI (European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability) and Operational Groups 

• In each call for projects, there is a special budget specifically for organic farming.
• It brings together farmers, researchers, advisors, and agribusinesses in so-called Operational Groups (OGs). 

AKIS Coordination Office and Thematic Networks 

• Since 2023, the AKIS Coordination Office, hosted by Zukunftsraum Land in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BML) and the Chamber of Agriculture, has been working to enhance networking across sectors. There is a special map of the key actors of the Austrian organic AKIS. 

Living Labs and Demonstration Farms 

• New methodological formats are gaining importance in Austria to bring science directly to the field. 

Advisory Networks and Training for Researchers 

• Another key strategy is to train both advisors and researchers to work more effectively across the research–practice boundary. Most of the projects in this context are specifically for organic farming. 

Digital Platforms and Knowledge Management 

• Digitalisation plays an increasingly central role in knowledge exchange 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

Organic sector actors often lack structured tools to anticipate future challenges and test long-term strategies. 

Solution  

Apply scenario analysis and backcasting to identify resilient pathways and align actions with long-term goals. 

Benefits  

Improved foresight, shared vision, and more adaptive, evidence-based strategies for organic food systems. 

Practical recommendations  

To test opportunities, threats and strategies, combine scenario analysis (aka scenario planning, exploring multiple plausible futures) with backcasting (building pathways connecting milestones and actions to be implemented to reach a desirable 2040 vision). 

• Co-create scenarios with farmers, processors, policymakers, and researchers to identify key drivers of change (markets, climate, regulation, technology).
• Explore impacts of each scenario on organic farming practices, markets, and value chains.
• Backcast from preferred futures to define concrete policy and business steps needed today.
• Compare options across scenarios to identify robust strategies that perform well under uncertainty.
• Integrate results into regional action plans and CAP Strategic Plans to enhance coherence and resilience. 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

Medium-sized organic farms struggle to adopt digital solutions due to limited technological infrastructure, high cost of investments, and lack of knowledge. 

Solution  

In Romania, Inter-Bio assists the Bio Cătina farmers cooperative in digital transformation through a digital maturity assessment and drones.  

Benefits  

Farmers gain improved skills to develop a digitalisation strategic plan, apply for financing, and plan resources.  

Practical recommendations  

Best practices, recommendations for farmers and advisors: 

• Learn to use maturity assessment tools, to develop competencies in the areas of technological radar, to test technological solutions before investing in them, and to access to finance for new technologies. More information and training are available at the Wallachia eHub for digital transformation.
• Use drones to remain competitive, reduce costs, and save time
• Get in touch with a European Digital Innovation Hub to take advantage of their specialised services (for instance, Walachia eHub, member of the European Digital Innovation Hubs Network (EDIH) network)
• Utilise data management and other IT&C solutions such Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in combination with the drones 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

Conversion to organic fish farming often requires significant investments, which can be difficult for small and medium-sized farms to finance independently.  

Solution  

Fish farmers in Germany can access a range of public funding instruments to support the transition to organic farming.  

Benefits  

Access to funding can substantially reduce financial barriers and thus be an incentive for conversion to organic farming.  

Practical recommendations  

• Contact the state fisheries authority (Landesfischereibehörde) or Managing Authority for European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for information on current funding calls.
• Develop a conversion and investment plan aligned with EU organic regulations and national program requirements. The eligibility & contacts are state-specific.
• Combine investment support with training/consultancy on the organic certification process
• Managing authority is often the state ministry/Landwirtschaftskammer/Landesamt. Contact them to find the correct measure and check whether your project fits the “investment in aquaculture” or “environmental improvement/organic conversion” lines.
• Many states operate rolling applications for certain investment measures; others use discrete funding calls with fixed deadlines. Use the linked state page to confirm the current call and the list of eligible costs.  

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

Organic farming and agricultural research remain disconnected; knowledge gaps persist, leaving practitioners without solutions tailored to real farm conditions. 

Solution  

Living Labs link organic farmers and researchers to co-create knowledge. They test innovation on farms, adapting to local soil, climate, and management conditions. 

Benefits  

Joint learning improves practices, builds trust, strengthens resilience, sustainability, and innovation. Farmers act as co-creators, ensuring results are useful. 

Practical recommendations  

For Farmers  

• Plan time for coordination — treat meetings as part of the learning process, not as extra work.
• Agree early on roles, data-sharing rules, and expected outcomes.
• Start small: test new practices on limited plots before scaling up.
• Build trust through transparency — share both successes and failures.
• Use advisors or facilitators to translate between research and practice.
• Include no-treatment plots and document experiences, so benefits become visible to all partners. 

Good practices for farmers, advisors and researchers: 

• Engage actively from the start: co-define goals and on-farm experiments.
• Keep transparent records and share practical results, even when outcomes are mixed.
• Dedicate time for reflection with peers and researchers.
• View Living Labs as long-term learning, not just short projects. 

Living Labs are rooted directly on farms and must always be adapted to the site-specific context of each farm. 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

Organic farming requires specialised knowledge and techniques. The available premiums and subsidies are mostly insufficient to compensate for the extra effort. 

Solution  

Organic farmers can reduce financial uncertainty by adopting preventive and adaptive management strategies. 

Benefits  

Sufficient premiums, targeted subsidies, and payments for ecosystem services compensate the farmers and maintain a competitive farm income. 

Practical recommendations  

• Use knowledge and recommendations from experienced advisors or peers to optimise input and fixed costs and overall revenues
• Enhance resilience to uncontrollable production conditions by diversifying crops and varieties
• Combine high-value crops (such as grass clover seed or arable vegetables) with bulk products to balance income and risk
• Identify a yield level that minimises vulnerability to fluctuation in prices or environmental factors
• Align cultivation methods and production ambitions that match reduced input costs through resource-efficient practices and self-sufficiency where possible
• Document increases in biodiversity and nature value with the help of certified advisors, enabling payments or subsidies based on measurable ecosystem values
• Calculate the farm´s climate impact to avoid potential penalties or taxes. 

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem  

France has a target of 20% organic food catering (Egalim Law), but organic farmers struggle due to fragmented supply, unsuitable volumes, and strong logistical constraints. 

Solution  

Farmers and processors organise their supply collectively, adapt volumes, cooperate with regional food hubs or logistic platforms to meet public procurement requirements. 

Benefits  

A stable and growing outlet for farmers and processors, organic gains local visibility, and the 20% organic food in both public and private canteens target is reached easier. 

Practical recommendations  

To supply collective catering in France, organic producers should: 

• Organise collectively into cooperatives or producer groups to pool volumes and adapt the format of food containers for public caterers
• Collaborate with local processors to ensure raw products meet catering requirements
• Use local micro-hubs to centralise logistics, facilitate deliveries, and optimise transport
• Establish long-term contracts with caterers to secure stable volumes and prices, enabling production planning and investment
• Advocate for public procurement rules to integrate sustainability and local sourcing criteria
• Align production and supply with the Egalim targets to secure demand for organic products
• Coordinate production and logistics to overcome supply fragmentation and expand organic offerings in collective catering.  

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge

Problem 

Conversion to organic fish farming often requires significant investments, which can be difficult for small and medium-sized farms to finance independently. 

Solution 

Greek fish farmers can diversify to Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) and certify both the seaweed, shellfish and the sea bream/sea bass organic.

Benefits 

IMTA increases the techno-economic and environmental sustainability of aquaculture and improves the final product quality.

Practical recommendations 

• Develop new reproduction and hatchery protocols for seedling production of the macroalgae.
• Evaluate the nutritional profile of the target species according to the EU-labelling requirements for organic blue food.
• Develop a conversion and investment plan aligned with EU organic regulations and national program requirements.
• Secure support in the transition phase with a focus on professional and technical areas.
• Collaborate and co-create in Living Labs, and on-farm experiments: Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
• Locate organic certification requirements: Certification bodies (Agrocert, BioHellas, TÜVHellas).
• Administrative assistance: mainly in the application process for organic subsidies: Advisors working in the network of Geotechnical Chambers of Agriculture, and independent advisors.

• OrganicTargets4EU Practice Abstracts
• PDF available at OrganicFarmKnowledge